How We Live
by SerenityFrogLuvr3
Summary: A series of drabbles revolving around the Glee universe based on quotes. It will eventually feature all of the characters at least once. Ch. 21- This was the day Santana had feared would come.
1. Voice

What?! I'm not dead!? No, no I'm not. but I am dipping my toes into a new fandom. That's right, I have recently become obsessed with the show Glee. It's really amazing, and if you haven't seen it you must (although I'm not sure why you'd be reading this if you hadn't o.O)

But yeah. I'm starting simple, with a drabble series. But this one's a little different, cause every single one revolves in some way around a quote.

I'll be touching on all of the characaters at some point, I promise. Meanwhile, enjoy.

Disclaimer- I'm using this as a blanket disclaimer for all the chapters so I don't have to do it again- I don't own the series Glee, nor any of it's characters or the quotes that I will use.

And this is also a blanket **SPOILER **warning- I have seen up to the season finale, and will be incorporating things from whichever episode I need. So you've been warned. If you don't want to know what happens, quickly close this window and go get caught up, because the last episode is totally worth it.

Alright, I think that's it. Let's get to it then.

* * *

_"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those that sang best." -Henry van Dyke_

* * *

Tina wasn't the best singer. Nor would she ever be.

There was Rachel, whose voice knew no limits and did things many had previously thought impossible.

Finn, whose voice was an absolutely perfect mixture of both power and sweetness.

Mercedes, whose voice was unashamed to tell exactly what she felt and came from something much deeper than her lungs.

Artie, whose voice was liquid smooth while always seeming to hold a hint of a smile.

Quinn, whose voice was like crystal and was always perfectly tailored.

Kurt, whose voice defied expectation and flourished in places few people dared to tread.

Puck, whose voice was deep and full and raw, rough but suprisingly beautiful in it's honesty.

No, Tina was by no stretch of the imagination the best singer of their crazy little club. But that was okay. If there was one thing she had learned from the expereince, it was that she couldn't let that stop her from singing her heart out anyway.

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And there it is, the very first one. I hope you enjoyed it.


	2. Acting

I liked this quote. I think it's a very good description of highschool. Oh, and I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I'm open to suggestions or prompts you may have. If you have some quote you think would make for a good Glee drabble, by all means share it.

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_"It's silly to go on pretending that under the skin we are all brothers. The truth is more likely that under the skin we are all cannibals, assassins, traitors, liars, hypocrites, poltroons." -Henry Miller_

* * *

Puck knew what people thought about him, especially the other kids in Glee Club. But he liked to believe that under everything he was really a nice guy. Didn't everyone? He told himself that he wasn't really all bad, that it was society and pressure and fear and just plain being a teenager that made him act out the way he did.

But there were times when he even doubted himself. Like the moment before he splattered some unfortunate loser with slushie or ground a freshman's bag into the mud or simply laughed at someone less fortunate then himself. A moment when their gazes would sometimes lock and his victim would look at him with this_ look _on their face.

It was a look of confusion. It was a look of anger. It was a look of hatred. It was a look of fear.

It was a look that asked _'Why would you do this?'_

And that was the thing- he didn't know. He had often wondered if the pressure was off, would he still act like such an ass? He liked to tell himself no, but sometimes it didn't have as much force as he would have liked. Sometimes he feared that maybe he wasn't acting at all.


	3. Loss

This one makes me so sad. I almost cried just writing it. It's a terrible, terrible thing to lose a child.

* * *

_"For of all the sad words of tongue or pen,_

_The saddest are these: 'It might have been!" -John Greenleaf Whittier__

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_

It had taken several hours after leaving his wife for Will to calm down enough to really think about all that had happened. This was a mistake. In no time flat he found his eyes swimming with tears.

He glanced to his left, where a recent picture of Terry smiled up at him from its $6.99 frame. He expected to feel some sort of loss, something that would fuel the sadness and hurt he felt in his chest like a physical pain. But to his surprise he felt nothing but disgust and anger, washing over the pain for a moment.

It wasn't until he looked lower, at her barely visible "baby bump", that the loss and grief hit him again. And he realized that he wasn't crying for his wife, but for his daughter.

Although he knew now that there wasn't a baby, that there never was a baby, that he had been played from the start, he still felt for all the world like he had lost his first born child. She had been as real to him as his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He had felt things for her he had never felt for another human being in all his life.

So that first night spent in the darkness of his office Will allowed himself to cry for his daughter, his baby girl, who had died that night.


	4. Exceptional

This is one where the finished product is not what I had in mind when I started, but I still like it a lot. And remember, if you have an idea or a quote please share. I can't promise I'll use it, but I'll definently think long and hard about it.

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_"Neque est ullum certius amicitiae vinculum, quam consensus et societas consiliorum et voluntatum" -Marcus Tullius Cicero _

* * *

They could do this.

If he was honest with himself, Artie had never really believed they had a chance at sectionals. They were good, sure, but there was the ever present thought that, for all their hard work, there were going to be people who were better.

But he was feeling something in that green room, something that welled up inside of him until there wasn't room for anything else.

It was hope.

Artie had always been the less fortunate, had always come out last. Even before the accident, he had never been really _exceptional_ at anything. And he had resigned himself to this, hardned himself to it until all that was left was a touch of sarcasm and a bitter aftertaste to his remarks. But now, looking around at the faces of his fellow Gleeks as they rushed to learn their cues for their inpromptu number for sectionals, Artie was hit with the realization that they might just be something special. Something exceptional. Something that could win, despite everything they had gone through. And he was a part of it.

* * *

The quote is latin. The english translation is:

_"There is no more sure tie between friends than when they are united in their objects and wishes."_


	5. False Modesty

I had a lot of trouble with this one. Upon first glance the quote seemed perfect for Rachel, but I had a surprising amount of trouble fitting my ideas into words. So please forgive if the result is a little strange or poorly explained.

* * *

_"Early on I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocrytical humility. I chose honest arrogance." -Frank Lloyd Wright_

* * *

"You know, people might like you more if you were less annoying."

Surprised, Rachel turned to find Artie looking up at her. She had expected Mr. Shue to come running after her, or maybe even Finn. Although that was more a fantasy than anything else, but a girl could dream. She certainly hadn't expected Artie to follow her after her dramatic exit from the practice room.

"What do you mean?" she asked, caught off guard by his frank comment.

"I mean maybe people would start liking you more if you weren't always shoving how great you are into their faces," his tone was casual and a tad pleading, void of any unkindness. Rachel studied him hard before answering.

"So you'd have me lie?" she finally said. He shook his head.

"Not lie. You're good- we all know it. But we'd care a lot more if you'd give us a chance to discover it for ourselves."

With that he turned his wheelchair in the direction of the choir room. Following behind, Rachel thought about what he'd said. Artie may have been right in some respects, but in the long run he didn't really understand. Show buisness didn't leave room for false modesty; if you were good, you had to make sure the world knew it. That's what she had been doing since she was old enough to sing. And it's what she'd continue to do until all her dreams had come true.

* * *

You have no idea how tempted I was to put 'frank analysis' in there. lol Wicked reference ftw


	6. Friendship

This one was sooooo hard to write. I dunno, maybe it's hard for me to get into Quinn's head because she's so different from me. I tried like hell though. I just feel like this one lacks a certain depth, but maybe I'm wrong.

Okay, so this takes place during sectionals, after the shit hits the fan and Quinn is sitting by herself on the little bench. I loved that scene because it actually inspired another idea I want to write down involving her and Rachel, but for now there's this one. Please, I'd love some feedback on this one as I'm not too sure of it. How could I improve it?

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_"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same." -Elbert Hubbard_

* * *

"Quinn? Are you okay?"

The blonde raised her head to find Brittany standing next to her, a look of concern on her pretty face. Honestly Quinn couldn't find it in herself to sneer at the Cheerio's ridiculous question, so she simply shook her head.

Not waiting for an invitation, Brit sat down on the small bench beside her. Although a part of her wanted nothing more than to chase the bubbly blonde away, another part was content to let her stay. If there was anyone she wanted by her side right now, it was Brittany- ulterior motives were beyond her.

"Listen Quinn, I know you probably want to be alone right now, but I just wanted to say that if you need a place to stay you can stay with me. My mom likes you, she wouldn't mind. I mean, my brother's a pain and my house isn't as big as yours, but still, if you want to..."

Looking at Brittany, Quinn found herself overwhelmed for a moment. She was a terrible person. She had torn everyone apart. She was a nobody at school. And yet, here was Brittany acting like nothign was different between them.

"Brittany, aren't you even a little upset with me?"

The blonde looked up at her in genuine surprise, "Upset? Of course not. I don't understand why you did what you did, but that doesn't matter. You're my friend and you need my help, that's all."

Quinn felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes for what felt like the hundreth time that day, but these ones were accomponied by a watery smile.

"Thank you," she whispered. Brittany didn't answer except to wrap her arms around her.


	7. Dumpsters

This didn't turn out how I had hoped it would. But here it is anyway. My own take on how Kurt and Mercedes met. Can take place any time during the first episodes or before, whatever you want.

Kurt is my favorite character, and I'm planning to do a lot more with him in the near future.

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_"A friend can tell you things you don't want to tell yourself." -Frances Ward Weller_

* * *

I watched as the kid pulled old food and soggy napkins off of his sweater with disgust. Honestly, pulling him out of that dumpster was the least I could do after watching him being thrown in and doing nothing.

He looked up at me, studying me from head to toe, "Thank you. For pulling me out. But I feel obligated to tell you that those boots don't go with that outfit at all."

I froze. He did _not_ just say that, not after I pulled him out of that smelly old dumpster. If he wasn't careful, he was gonna go right back in again.

He continued, "I'm just saying. I understand what you were trying to do with the red and leapord print, but the shirt's too loud. Maybe with a warm brown, or even simple black. You can never go wrong with the classics."

He looked up at me and smiled, green eyes sparkling. I was torn between anger and amusment. He sure sounded like he knew what he was talking about at least. but there was no way I was actually gonna let this boy get away with insulting my outfit (which was fabulous, by the way).

"Right, cause I'm gonna take fashion advice from the kid with gravy in his hair." I said finally, laughing as his smile dropped into a dramatic pout and he began toying with his ruined hair.

I offered him his bag, which had been hanging outside the dumpster, and together we went made our way towards the door of McKinley.

"I'm Kurt, by the way."

"Mercedes."

"Nice to meet you."


	8. Dandelions

I really wanted to write something not full of angst. And I'm really trying. This was supposed to be a lot lighter than it turned out, and I'm sorry for that. I have a lot of stuff waiting for me to publish for this series, but I want to get some stuff out that isn't too depressing. I dunno, writing angst just comes naturally to me.

So this is set right after that dude leave Finn's mom. They mention it in the Pilot episode. I can't for the life of me remember his name, but it might be Randy. I dunno. More importantly- Does Finn's mom ever get a name? I just made one up, but if they give her a name in the series and I missed, please don't hesitate to tell me. Thanks ^_^

* * *

_"If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn." -Andrew Mason_

* * *

"FINN!"

Shelly heard feet scampering down the stairs before her son appeared in the kitchen doorway. He had a huge smile on his face, but it disappeared the moment he caught sight of her less-than-amused expression.

"Mom? What's wrong? Did you see the-"

"-The mess you left on my kitchen table? Yeah, I saw it. Honestly, what were you thinking, leaving all these weeds here? You're almost nine years old, I shouldn't have to follow you around picking up after you! I've had a very busy day and I need to cook dinner, so please get this cleaned up."

"But it's a bouquet."

Shelly stopped what she was doing, looking first at the pile of grasses and dandelions that sat on the table and then at her son.

"A bouquet?"

Finn nodded, "Yeah. You've been so sad, and I know how happy you were when... when you got flowers, so I wanted to pick you a bouquet. I'm sorry it didn't turn out too good, and I didn't mean to make a mess. I'll pick them up-"

"No," she cut him off, going to the table and picking up the limp bundle with a smile, "no, you're right, of course it's a bouquet. I just didn't get a good look at it before. Thank you Finn, they're beautiful. Get me something to put them in, would you?"

Finn's face lit up as he ran to do as she asked, and Shelly felt the irritation from the day melting away. Things were hard, but she couldn't have asked for a better person to get through it with.


	9. The Process

This one is a little different. I put the quote at the end of the story, because instead of writing around it I actually put it_ in_ the story. I couldn't help myself, it just made me giggle. I hope you guys don't mind.

Oh, and wow guys, thank you so much for all the love this story has been getting. All your lovely reviews are like crack for my humble little ego. It means so much to me, so thanks. This is for everyone who has reviewed so far, this is for you! I have finally managed to write something that isn't horribly depressing in some way!!!!

* * *

Everyone in the practice room stopped what they were doing, looking to where Brittany stood behind Kurt with a curious expression on her face. The male soprano was frozen at the piano, hands poised over the keys. She had said some strange things before, but this...

"What did you say?" Kurt turned around to face the Cheerio, sure he had misheard.

"I said, how did you become gay?"

Kurt was silent, studying Brittany's face as though he'd never seen it before. Everyone held their breath, watching the exchange as one would watch two oncoming cars about to collide.

Finally Kurt swept his hair away from his face fixing the girl with a superior gaze, "Well Brittany, homosexuals are chosen first on talent, then interview. Extensive background checks, of course. Then the swimsuit and evening gown competition pretty much gets rid of the rest of them."

The room erupted in laughter, tension draining away in an instant, and one by one the Glee members returned to what they had been doing with a sigh of relief. Until-

"Wait... really?"

* * *

_"The next time someone asks you, "Hey, howdja get to be a homosexual anyway?" tell them, "Homosexuals are chosen first on talent, then interview... then the swimsuit and evening gown competition pretty much gets rid of the rest of them." -Karen Wiliams_

* * *

Ugh. I just COULD NOT find a good place to end this one! Don't you hate it when that happens?


	10. Teammates

Okay, this chapter is for jackiekennedy. She has been leaving me the most wonderful reviews and they make me so happy. So when she asked me to do one using a quote from Kurt Vonnegut, I got on it immediatly. And I'm glad I did- he has some really great ones.

Which brings me to my second point- I have been wanting to do some drabbles about the lesser known characters- Mike, Santana, etc. I was coming up totally blank whenever I tried to write anything about the other football boys until today, when I found this quote and immediatly thought of this scenerio.

So here it is. Thank you so much jackiekennedy, and I promise I'll work on some of the other things you asked for as well. And ShaileeSue, I haven't forgotten about yours either, I promise. Now this takes place the day that the three fottball players join the Glee Club. I can't remember what episode it was, I think it may have been the end of 4. but anyway, enjoy.

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_"Still and all, why bother? Here's my answer. Many people need deperately to recieve this message; I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone." -Kurt Vonnegut_

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_'Well, here goes nothing_,' Matt thought, turning the corner into the band hallway. Was it just him, or did it seem darker down here? Either way he felt a thrill of fear run up his spine, and only the fact that he had already told Mr. Shuester he'd be coming stopped him from turning right back around and forgetting all about Glee. Matt Rutherford did _not_ go back on his word.

His train of thought was broken by a noise behind him, and he whirled around just in time to see Mike Chang coming around the corner. Damnit, Mike knew! But he had been so careful not to be seen. What would his fellow football players say if they knew that he had agreed to join the Gleeks?

The taller boy froze suddenly, staring at Matt in shock and- was that fear? Okay, so maybe Mike hadn't been following him. But then why the hell was he here? He cleared his throat before speaking as casually as possible, "Hey Mike, what's up?"

"Um, nothing," he saw his teammate's gaze dart behind him, to where he knew the door to the Glee practice stood. Now Matt was a smart kid, despite the football stereoptypes, and it didn't take much for him to put two and two together.

"Dude, are you here for Glee?"

"No!" Mike yelped before looking back at Matt, "Wait, are _you_ here for Glee?"

Matt just nodded, and in an insant the awkwardness drained away. That is, until they were interupted by a surprised noise from the begining of the hall. They both looked over to find Noah Puckerman staring at them like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Oh, hey guys," Puck grunted, taking a step back, "I... uh... must have gotten lost. I just... wait, what are you doing here?"


	11. Cheerleaders

I'm finally home for break! Yay!

However, because of that, I won't be updating too often for a little while. I have a few more drabbles written up that are sitting on my computer that I could post, but I probably won't be getting to much new stuff written up while I'm home, since I don't get a lot of time to myself here.

So yeah, please keep requesting stuff anyway, and to those who already have I promise I will get them written up soon. And thank you everyone for all your support, it really keeps me going.

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_"Flying is the second best thrill to cheerleaders; being caught is the first." -Anon._

* * *

Quinn knew that the other Glee members didn't understand how bad it had hurt her to be thrown from the Cheerios. While they didn't say anything out loud, she knew they all expected her to just get over it. Accept her new loser status and move on.

Except it wasn't her fall from grace that caused her so much pain.

They couldn't know what it was like to be tossed nearly ten feet above the ground. Didn't understand the feeling you got as you spun and the knowledge that your teammates were beneath you. That no matter what had gone on that week, no matter who said what or who kissed whose boyfriend, as soon as you were on that pitch you were united. And as you hover over the pitch, you just _know_ that your girls are going to be there to catch you.

But where was her team now? Now that the ground had been yanked out beneath her feet and she was falling harder than she ever had before. The Cheerios had turned their backs on her, and the Glee Club would want nothing to do with her after the way she treated them their whole live.

So who was going to catch her now?


	12. Support

Getting one of the drabbles I have in stock up while I work on other stuff. now as much as I love slash (and I DO love slash) I am also a huge fan of just male friendship. And that's what that is.

It's set when the boys are probably around 11 or 12, or at least that's what I imagined when I wrote it.

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"It is the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter." -Marlene Dietrich

* * *

_'...CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT_

_BUT IF YOU TRY REAL HARD...'_

Finn rolled over with a moan, reaching out a hand towards his bedside table and groping around for the source of the Rolling Stones. Finally his hand wrapped around his cellphone and he stared at the caller ID as he tried to blink sleep from his eyes.

Puck? What the hell was Puck doing calling him at 4 in the morning? This had better be damned good- his friend knew they had a math test tommorrow morning. Finn flipped open the phone.

"Hello," he mumbled. For a minute he thought Puck had hung up, and was ready to roll back over and go to sleep so as to be well rested for when he kicked his teammate's ass the next day. But a noise from the other end stopped him. It was small, like the catch of a breath, but it got Finn's attention nonetheless.

"Hello?" he repeated, "are you there, Puck?"

"Hey Finn," Puck's voice was gruff and shaky, and Finn sat up in bed.

"Hey man. What's up?"

There was no immediate answer save for Noah's ragged breathing. It took Finn several moments to realize that his best friend was crying. "He's gone," Puck finally whispered, "My dad. He just... up and left tonight. He... he's not coming back."

Finn felt his like his bed had suddenly dropped out from under him. He swallowed around a suddenly dry throat, unsure of what to say. What could he say?

Misreading his silence, he heard Puck take several deep breaths before mumbling, "Shit. Look, I'm sorry for calling so late, I just... nevermind. I'll let you go back to bed-"

"No," Finn said firmly, arranging himself into a more comfortable sitting position against his headboard, "No, it's alright, I don't mind. What happened?"


	13. Actress

Sorry, I meant to update sooner.

This took a different turn form what I originally planned around the quote, but I like it. Oh man, I'm running out of drabbles I have in stock. I really need to sit my ass down and write some more- I have so many ideas right now, I just need to get them down. And people who have requested stories, I promise I haven't forgotten. In fact, those are going to be some of the first I write up.

And please keep requesting, people. It keeps my ass moving on these, and I love the ideas people have been giving me ^_^

* * *

_"You can fool too many of the people too much of the time" -James Thurber_

* * *

When had she become so great at fooling people? Hell, when had she become so good at fooling herself? Santana wasn't really sure. But for as long as she could remember, it had been second nature to lock away anything inside of herself that could hurt her social standing.

Her first crystal clear memory of becoming the person she was today was when she lost her virginity in seventh grade to the 16 year old she had been dating. As he had slid his hand up her skirt, she pushed down her fear and trepidition for the sake of not looking like some prudish baby and had done it with him that night in his parent's room.

She had gone home immediatly after and curled up in her bed, pushing down the shame and disgust that threatened to overwhelm her. That had been the night she threw out all of her old stuffed animals, not because she didn't want them but because she didn't deserve them anymore.

And so life had gone since then. Anything that didn't help her keep her place at the top of the social ladder was pushed away and forgotten.

Until she had joined Glee. Maybe being surrounded by so many losers was contagious? Whatever the case, Santana had found that when she was around her Glee teammates, she didn't really feel the need to push as many things down. After all, who cared what a couple of Gleeks thought about her anyway, right?

Yeah, that was it.


	14. Phonecalls

Oh man, this one gave me so much trouble. I knew what I wanted to happen and what I wanted to say, but I couldn't seem to get it down. Very frustrating. Also, these two characters (in my mind anyway) have very distinct speech patterns and attitudes, and I wanted to get them right. Please keep in mind that if Kurt seems a little less haughty then usual, it's becuase he's still a little raw from his performance. he looked so emotional at the end (god, I love that scene) I figured he would need some time to cool down and get himself under control again.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the sort of abrupt begining. I have this one set right after the Defying Gravity number. I had in my head that Rachel comes into the practice room afterwards to tell him good job. So yeah. It's just the two of them, she walked in on him playing the piano. (I know, I have him play that piano a lot, but I have a thing for instruments, especially the piano, and also it's a great tool to set moods with. I'm sorry!)

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_"The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." -Carl Gustav Jung_

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* * *

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"Hey Kurt?" he didn't turn around, but his hands stilling on the piano keys told her he was listening so she pressed on, "I just wanted to say good job. I'm proud to have had you as an opponant. And don't feel too bad about that note. I mean, you have a good voice but you lack my range. It's not your fault. You did great."

"Yeah," he said quietly, still not looking at her. A pause, and then, "Hey, Rachel?"

"Hmm?"

"You have two gay dads, right?" she nodded, "I was just wondering, do you ever get... phone calls and stuff about it?"

"You mean the fag calls?" _That_ got him to turn around, and his shocked face made her laugh, "That's what we call them. Yeah, we get them. Not like we did when we first moved here, but they still come once a month or so."

Kurt was quiet for a moment before shaking his head, "How can you just laugh it off like that? The hate- how do you deal with it?"

Rachel shrugged, coming to sit next to him on the small black bench, "It's hard sometimes. I used to be so scared that I couldn't even answer the phone when it rang. But you just have to remember that for every anonymous message of hate, there's someone out there who will love and accept. _And_ not be afraid to show their face while doing it. That's what my dads always told me.

Kurt noded slowly before getting up and grabbing his bag. He made his way to the door but stopped before it, turning to give Rachel a sad smile, "Thank you. And congradulations on your solo."


	15. Kiss

Finally, a Will and Emma story. I know it's a little clique, but this is honestly how it seemed to me, so this is what I wrote.

And I know... someone... requested a Will/Emma to a certain quote, and I promise I haven't forgotten about that. This is just one of the ones I had sitting on my computer. I will get to working on some of my requests after break ends for me.

What is it with me updating in the middle of the fricking night?

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_"The s__ound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer." -Oliver Wendell Holmes_

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There was no going back.

As soon as Will's lips had met Emma's, they both knew that it was the end. And the begining of something new. Any thoughts they had entertained of the past, of returning to the safety of what they knew, were lost to them now.

With that kiss, they began something that could only move forward. Where to, they couldn't say. It certainly wouldn't be easy- reality never was.

But they had started something. It was a terrifying thought, not having the familiar safety of what they had known before. But the fear was bearable- hell, the fear was worth it, because they knew that wherever the new path led, they wouldn't be alone.


	16. Hate part 1

This is a two part- I wrote a companion story using the same quote from Kurt's POV. Hope you like it.

Oh, and these aren't really meant to be read as slash. If you've read my fic Girl Time, you'll know that I'm very interested in the plutonic relationship between Puck and Kurt. However, I am certainly not against you looking at it as slash if you so wish ^_^

And yeah, requests- I've started a lot of them, but I'm not satisfied with them yet, and I want them to be perfect. So here's these to tide you over.

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_"We hate some persons because we do not know them, and will not know them because we hate them." -Charles Caleb Colton_

* * *

Puck had always hated Kurt. Hated his squeaky voice and swishy hair. Hated his fancy-ass clothes and the stupid little gay-boy wrist flip thing he sometimes did. Hated the hurtful remarks that came out of his mouth. He didn't understand how anyone could want to be friends with Kurt Hummel. The boy was a just a bitch, pure and simple. And as far as he could tell, Hummel hated him right back.

But a strange thing had happened during the time they'd spent together in Glee. Puck had one day found himself able to look at Kurt without feeling the overwhelming urge to knock him down a peg or two.

Maybe it was seeing the boy pour everything he had into that solo and still failing (everyone had been affected by that, so Puck didn't think it was too gay to admit he'd felt for the kid.). Maybe it was when Kurt had finally told them all why he lived alone with his father. Maybe it was finally noticing how his brave face would waver every time someone (Puck) called him a fag. Maybe it was seeing him just relax, something he'd never before done in Puck's presence. He was like a different person when he smiled. _Really_ smiled.

Whatever it was, Puck had realized in the months they'd spent together that Kurt was a lot more like him than he'd ever care to admit. Although their masks may be different, neither of them were half as strong as they led the world to believe.

And yeah, maybe now he could see now why someone would want to be friends with Kurt.


	17. Hate part 2

Okay, the second part of this two part. enjoy

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_"We hate some persons because we do not know them, and will not know them because we hate them." -Charles Caleb Colton_

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Kurt had always hated Puck. Hated his stupid mohawk and mediocre fashion sense (honestly, how many flannels can one boy own?). Hated his stupid smirk and the ignorant things that poured out everytime he opened his mouth. He didn't understand how anyone could want to be friends with someone like Noah Puckerman. The boy was just a dick, pure and simple. And as far as he could tell, Puck hated him right back.

But a strange thing had happened during the time they'd spent together in Glee. Kurt had one day found himself able to look at Puck without feeling the overwhelming urge to knock him down a peg or two.

Maybe it was watching Puck sing his heart out to Rachel, when they all knew he wanted nothing more than to be singing to Quinn. Maybe it was learning more about his dad and the kind of man that Puck was terrified of becoming. Maybe it was finally noticing how his brave face would waver every time someone (Kurt) called him a loser. Maybe it was seeing him just relax, something he'd never before done in Kurt's presence. He was like a different person when he smiled._ Really_ smiled.

Whatever it was, Kurt had realized in the months theyd spent together that Puck was a lot more like him than he'd ever care to admit. Although their masks may be different, neither of them were half as strong as the led the world to believe.

And yeah, maybe now he could see why someone would want to be friends with Puck.


	18. Regrets

Yes. Alright, I'm excited. I have finally started getting those requests out. I have quite a few, so please be patient. But this one was requested a while ago, so I'm glad I finally got it done.

This is for Shailee_Sue, who gave me this quote and suggested it for a Will/Emma. Now I'm sorry, because I'm not too fond of how I write romance (if you notice, there's not too much of it in most of my stories, although I love to read it). Hopefully you'll like it though, I really tried. But yeah, it's not my specialty.

And in case some of you were wondering (for some strange reason) I'm planning to start broadening my character horizon again. Like Ken, Figgins, some of the parents (I have a great quote for Kurt's dad, I'm so excited) and the piano man, just to name a few. But yeah, so if you have been getting bored with my characters lately, never fear. More are coming!

So this is for you Shailee_Sue. I hope you like it.

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_"The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone" -Harriet Beecher Stowe_

* * *

Will turned over to look at Emma, fast asleep in the bed beside his. While she had finally given into his pleading and started attending therapy for her mysophobia, the prospect of sharing a bed still terrified her. But little by little they were getting there. Will could wait.

And so he gazed at her peaceful face, little more than a foot away, and wondered at the fragile relationship they had shared. All of the things that had remained unsaid between them for so long. All of the times he had nearly lost her.

When he had _almost _quit his job to provide for a baby that didn't exist. When she had _almost_ married Ken Tanaka. When she had _almost_ left for good, because she just couldn't handle it anymore.

The idea that Emma could be somewhere else right now without him, and he without her, scared him more than he had thought it would. He had to remind himself firmly that their delicate relationship _had_ strengthened, had become what it was today, and they were both happy.

But still, Will was unable to resist the urge to lean over and reach his hand out to stroke her cheek softly. Just to assure himself that she was there, and she was _his._


	19. Jealousy

I have a lot of stuff going on right now- school is kicking my ass, I have a lot of shit to plan, and my friend is really sick, so we're all trying to deal with that. I've still been writing some, but this is kind of an apology, because I can't be sure that my writing will be up to par for a while. I know it's not really an excuse, so I guess this is more like a warning. Bear with me while I try to get through all of this please. Thank you.

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_"Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable." -Plato_

* * *

Despite all of the problems Noah Puckerman had given him over the years, Ken couldn't bring himself to hate the boy.

He'd seen the way his left tackle looked at that pretty blonde Cheerio. And he'd seen pain flicker behind those hard eyes whenever that girl ran into the arms of one Finn Hudson. Ken felt sorry for the little delinquent, because he knew what it was like to watch everything you ever wanted fall into some other man's lap. How hard it was to push down the envy and keep smiling.

They weren't too different. Both of them have felt the bitter sting of jealousy. Both know all too well how it feels to always fall short in comparison. Especially in _her_ eyes.

Of course, that didn't stop him from tearing Puckerman a new one when he attempted to pass the ball to Hummel for the fifth time that practice- while the kicker was _still on the bench._


	20. Secrets

This is for jacki_kennedy, who asked a while ago for a bit where Mercedes tells the rest of the club about Puck and Quinn. I decided this was the perfect time for it, a special long one-shot for my 20th chapter of this story.

Thank you SOOO much for everyone who has followed me this far. I am trying to broaden my horizons with this story, so yeah bear with me. I hope I have been able to keep you entertained until we can get the real Glee back in March! So again, thank you for all the reviews, favorites, alerts and just plain reading the stuff I work so hard on. You guys are lovely ^_^

Enjoy the special chapter 20, a longer oneshot for jackie_kennedy who has been the sweetest thing from the begining of this story.

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"There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses." -George Bernard Shaw

* * *

"Hi Mercedes."

"Wha- nothing!" Mercedes looked up at Artie with wide eyes. Tina leaned over to look at her with a questioning expression as Artie cocked his head to the side.

"Um, is something wrong?"

Mercedes bit her lip for a moment before shaking her head vigourously, "Oh, no. No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine," she answered. Artie gave her a strange look but shrugged, turning back to talk with Tina. Matt and Santana were a row up, whispering and giggling about something. It was just the five of them in the choir room so far, it still being ten minutes before Glee practice started.

The door opened and in strode Kurt, Mike and Brittany. The three were chatting easily, but seperated once they entered the room. As expected, Kurt made his way to the chair next to Mercedes and sat down.

"What's up girl?" he said in greeting, smiling at Tina and Artie.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you!" Mercedes burst out, and conversation stopped abruptly as all eyes turned towards her in confusion. It was Kurt who recovered first and leaned forward, always on the look-out for juicy gossip.

"Tell us what?"

Mercedes gazed at them all before looking down, "It was during the project, when I was paired with Puck. He was being an ass, of course, and he started wigging out about singing to Quinn and Finn. It was really weird"

Kurt was near shaking with anticipation, knowing his friend's habit of drawing out her stories for dramatic flair. The rest of the kids were more subtle, but all listened closely with eager ears.

"I asked him what his problem was, and he told me..." she took a deep breath, looking up at their expectant eyes.

"He's the daddy of Quinn's baby. Not Finn."

There was a collective gasp, and after a moment of silence everyone began talking excitedly.

"Oh my god."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Oh man, can you believe this?"

"But how-?"

"What do you mean how? Isn't that part obvious?"

"What are we going to do!"

"Poor Finn."

Everyone looked at Brittany, who was staring at them with a sad look on her face. Slowly, the full weight of Mercedes words began to sink in. They looked at eachother, the mood in the room darkening by the second. But before they could say any more, the door to the practice room opened.

"Hi everyone," Finn said with a smile, but it slowly fell as he looked from one face to another. The glee kids all wore identical deer-in-the-headlights expressions.

It was Matt who finally managed to hook a smile into place, "Hey man, what's up. So have you heard anything about the newest play we're running next practice?"

Within seconds, they had all silently agreed to not speak a word about they had just been told.


	21. The Shift

So please bear with me, as I'm going to be on a mini hiatus for a while. I wasn't even planning on posting something for quite a while, but I already had this uploaded so I thought whatever. If you guys read my last little stand-alone story, you'll know that I'm kind of going through some stuff right now, and although I have a lot of ideas, I can't seem to write them out right now. So I will be taking a little break from publishing stuff until the ground comes back under my feet. But enjoy this chapter, and thank you for the support you've been giving me, it really means a lot.

I like this one. I really like Santana, and I think I'd like to get a Santana/Brittany chapter in here somewhere. Anyway, enjoy.

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_"The hardest thing in life is to learn which bridge to cross which to burn." -David Russel_

* * *

Something had changed. Hell if I know how, or why, or even when.

It was gradual, easy to ignore at first. Like the way none of the Glee kids ever called me a slut or Brittany an idiot the way the Cheerios sometimes did, or when Kurt asked us to join him in his Beyonce video. I had to babysit that day, but to be honest I was a little annoyed that I had to miss it. Just a little. It hadn't sounded really all that lame.

But I didn't even realize what was happening until the day after Sectionals, sitting at lunch with Brittany and the rest of the Cheerios. I kept looking across the room to where the Glee kids sat, spirits high. And I realized in that moment that I wanted nothing more than to be laughing and celebrating with them. My Cheerios uniform didn't feel as powerful as it once had. Sure I looked like the other girls, but that didn't feel like enough all the sudden.

I looked across the table at Brittany. Her eyes were also trained on the Glee kids, a look of open longing on her pretty face. That decided it.

I stood up, trying to act like I didn't notice how every girl's gaze turned towards me. Brittany followed my lead, as she always did, and without a word we crossed the thirty feet to the Glee table. I could feel the Cheerio's glares burning into my back, and only Brittany's presence beside me and the Gleeks turning towards us with open smiles kept me moving forward.

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Okay, just to make sure you guys stick around, I'd like to put a few teasers of things I have already written for this or ideas I have. Enjoy, and hope to see you again when I return.

_'Wait a minute. Where did you learn to play Madonna?'_

_'Why do you use all that black crap? You'd look almost normal with a little brown eyeliner and some lipgloss.'_

_'Kurt's gaze swept over the congregation, turning a great deal colder as he met the eyes of several gakwers.'_

Well that's it. Hope you liked it, and I promise I'll be back as soon as I can.


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